Contrary to De La Soul’s hip-hop classic, three isn’t necessarily always the magic number. From French and Saunders to Cagney and Lacey, Bill and Ted to The Chuckle Brothers, the 80s spawned a whole host of acts who proved that sometimes the best things really do come in twos. The UK charts were also full of dynamic duos who, despite their often chalk and cheese nature, complemented each other perfectly. Focusing solely on their output in the decade they found fame, here’s a look at 20 of the best.
20 WOMACK & WOMACK
Linda and Cecil Womack certainly had the most, erm, interesting, backstory of any 80s duo. The former’s mother married the latter’s brother just months after her soul legend husband Sam Cooke was murdered in mysterious circumstances, essentially making the pair step-uncle and niece until they wed in 1978. The Womacks weren’t afraid to touch on their convoluted family tree in the music they began making together five years later. But there was always a warmth to their understated blend of gospel, soul and R&B, particularly on Teardrops, a glorious sad banger which has since acquired modern standard status.
19 COMMUNARDS
Having briefly shared the stage in Bronski Beat with Richard Coles, Jimmy Somerville then broke away from his first Hi-NRG outfit to found an even more successful one with the former saxophonist/ future vicar. Communards may be best remembered for their joyous renditions of Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes’ Don’t Leave Me This Way (with Sarah Jane Morris) and The Jackson 5’s Never Can Say Goodbye but the likes of For A Friend, one of the first pop singles to address the AIDS crisis, and the scathing anti-Thatcherism of Reprise proved they had much more to offer than 70s disco covers.
18 THE KLF
Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty literally wrote the book on how to have a No.1 (the easy way) following a mash-up of Doctor Who and glam-rock self-described as “the most nauseating record in the world” – the single was Doctorin’ The Tardis by The Timelords. The pair weren’t quite so dismissive after dropping all the science-fiction references and embracing the burgeoning acid house scene. A stadium-sized remix of 3am Eternal would later add to their chart-topping tally. But as with What Time Is Love?, its original ‘Pure Trance’ version had already established the mavericks as British dance music’s new gods.